A Christmas Tale
by kruemi
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Cloud Dancing has invited two guests...


_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters who act in this story. I only borrowed them from Beth Sullivan, CBS and whoever is holding the rights on them._

**A Christmas Tale**

by Kruemi

When he was in town, no one would be able to guess that this handsome, but average looking man was actually a Cheyenne medicine man who still practiced the same ceremonies that his predecessors had done in earlier centuries. The clothes he wore didn't differentiate him from his contemporaries, and he easily blended in with the crowd. Yet like his ancestors, he was able to talk to the spirits and still knew the special chants that were used to call on them. These spirits didn't know about modern customs or religions but only the familiar and everlasting laws of Nature.

Tonight, the Cheyenne was with his wife in a house far away from the others up in the mountains. He had invited two friends to join his little family, but not everything that would make the upcoming hours a success was ready yet; everything from now on would depend on getting the timing right.

Snow Bird, his wife, had helped him prepare the small room that was added to the house but contained little more than a fireplace and some space to sit before it. All the furs and ornamented hides had been dusted off and carefully re-arranged on the walls so the place looked like the inside of a teepee. Pieces of oak had been placed in a certain way on the fireplace and were waiting to be lit.

With a searching look, Cloud Dancing made sure that all the necessary dried herbs lay before him on the floor. Sitting cross-legged, the skin of his upper body shone under carefully drawn colorful lines and as he looked up at his wife, she instantly pivoted and left. Taking in a deep breath, the medicine man straightened his back and closed his eyes.

He didn't hear Snow Bird's return but smelled the burning torch. Almost in a trance, he reached out for it, only moving his arm. As the Indian woman left the room again, her husband concentrated all his being on finding his connection to the spirits.

…………………………………………………………………..

Driving along the highway that led out of town, the young woman was in a hurry as she needed to reach her destination before sun set. She had lost track of time earlier that afternoon, sitting next to little Anthony's bed in the children's ward at the hospital. She'd removed his appendix the day before and his mother, who owned a café and was obviously still busy, hadn't arrived yet. Michaela wasn't able to refuse the boy when he'd asked her with pleading eyes to tell him a story, and thus she had stayed.

Yet now, in the cozy warmth of her car, memories surfaced which Anthony's plea had awoken; memories of a man who had once distracted an injured boy with an Indian legend whilst she was setting the child's broken leg.

This man however, had disappeared without a trace more than three months ago. On the few occasions that Michaela had met him, it had always been the same: he would show up out of the blue, usually when she needed help, and afterwards he'd be gone just as quickly and unexpectedly. Sometimes she wondered if he was just a product of her imagination. Snow Bird had laughed when she had told her about this suspicion.

Thinking of the Cheyenne woman, Michaela smiled. Snow Bird was the wife of her colleague who had invited her to their house in the mountains. Initially, she had hesitated, not wanting to disturb the family's Christmas Eve. Yet both had assured her that they preferred to follow the tradition of their ancestors and thus these particular December days didn't have any special meaning to them. They knew, however, what the holidays meant to her and didn't want her to spend them alone. That was why Michaela had eventually agreed to come, relieved at having some company during the first Christmas without her father.

So she was on her way now, already leaving the outskirts of Colorado Springs behind. The road was almost empty, and the soft purring of the engine was the only sound she heard. With every turn of the wheel her anticipation grew; no one from the hospital had ever seen Cloud Dancing's house. Rumour had it that it was even more comfortable than the one in town, which was hard to believe. She had seen the latter. Yet more than that, she was looking forward to the evening's conversations. Talks with the Cheyenne couple were never boring, and they used to laugh together a lot. Laughing was something she rarely did now since her father's death only half a year ago. But, on top of all that, Snow Bird had promised a meal no one would forget in a hurry. This announcement had helped Michaela decide what to bring as a present for the hosts. She had chosen a bottle of Portuguese port. Yet this thought made her suddenly straighten in her seat. The wine she had bought was still standing on the kitchen table in her apartment.

Scanning her surroundings with more attention now, Michaela remembered that there was a gas station with a large store a few miles ahead. It was beyond the turning she needed to take, but if she hurried, a little detour wouldn't make her too late.

Thus she stepped down a bit harder on the gas. Her car immediately obeyed and sped up. In front of her was only an old pick-up and once she was close enough, she got ready to over take it. Yet the faster she drove, the faster the driver of the pick-up went, matching her pace.

Michaela was familiar with this game. Whenever a man saw a woman at the steering wheel, he felt compelled to show that he was the only one who knew how to drive properly. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Michaela first made sure that no vehicle was coming towards them on the other lane. Then she pressed down the pedal as far as possible, going the long way around the pick-up. Refusing to look up into a grinning male face, she stared straight ahead as she passed the other car.

Mercedes A 160 cdi, Chameleon, Sully thought automatically when the red car was on a level with his. Yet his attention was captured by something else. He hadn't been able to spot the driver but could swear that he had seen a flash of coppery hair. For a split second, the hope that _she_ might be the other guest at Cloud Dancing's had lightened his features. When the Mercedes didn't take the next turning though, his face fell.

Disappointment made him hit the gas pedal harder again like before when he'd realized that dusk was closer than he had thought. Once it was dark, it would become more difficult to take the small path that led from the hut, where he was supposed to meet his friends' other guest, up to Cloud Dancing's house.

However, knowing the road he was driving on by heart, his thoughts drifted back to the woman he had tried to banish from his mind. He had never met anyone like her before; she always tried to see the good in folks, even after they proved that they weren't worth it. On the other hand she was also incredibly stubborn; when she was determined to do something, no one could stop her. He had witnessed that when Brian Cooper had run away in the beginning of September. Some of the older kids had told him scary stories about school; so the boy had simply vanished on the day before school was due to start. They couldn't find any hint of his whereabouts and thus it was decided to form search parties consisting of police men and volunteers. Even two doctors had shown up at the meeting point; much to his astonishment Michaela had been one of them. Once she'd made sure that her colleague would stay at the point, she had insisted on accompanying one of the searchers. As soon as she had spotted him, she had come over to him and no argument on his side could make her reconsider her decision. She had a reply for every argument he posed and when he finally concluded in a rage that she would only slow him down, she simply countered that finding the child was only half of the task; making sure that he was transported back safely was the other. In the end he had been glad that she was there; Brian had actually needed medical help after he had saved him from the bottom of a steep slope.

Although he'd met Michaela before, the search for Brian had made Sully realize that he was falling for her. She had stirred feelings inside of him he never wanted to have again, even some he'd never known to exist. Keeping his distance from her had seemed to be the only solution and that was why he had escaped to the Cheyenne reservation near Tulsa because there were always people there who needed help. Yet the longer he had stayed in Oklahoma, the more it had become clear that Cloud Dancing had been right: Running away didn't solve his problems. So he had come back and accepted his friend's invitation although another guest would be there. He hadn't even asked who it was. He needed to move on and spending time with his friends would be a sensible first step.

Casting a last glance at the retreating, shiny, red car, Sully turned onto the road that led up to the mountain.

Michaela's anticipation had turned into nervousness for it took her longer than expected to finally get back on the right track after eventually taking the turning. The store had been filled with crowds of people and a bunch of truckers had even tried to pull her into a conversation. Cloud Dancing, however, had insisted on her being at the hut before nightfall, but she didn't see any houses by the road. She would never admit it out loud, but seeing the stars appear one after another in the pale, cloudless sky began to frighten her despite their cheerful twinkle. If there wasn't tar on the road under her wheels, she could have sworn that no living soul had ever been here before.

Squinting her eyes, she tried to make out any lights that might suggest a house ahead. Yet there was nothing but the beam of her headlights. After five more minutes, Michaela was close to turning around, fearing she had gone the wrong way. For some reason the starry sky from moments before had turned into an inky cover and the pitch black darkness only added to her uneasiness. She was about to give in to the strange feeling of foreboding and return to town, when after a bend, a structure appeared next to the road, almost as if been put there by magic.

The soft, flickering glow coming from the inside of the wooden house allowed her to discern the shadow of a vehicle parked in front of the building. Both these proofs suggested someone was home and all anxiety left her. It was instantly replaced however, by a feeling of guilt. Snow Bird had told her there would be another guest coming and that they were to meet at this place. For some reason Michaela had never asked who the other person was; she only knew that it was a man who was familiar with the way from the hut up to the house. Hopefully he wouldn't be too angry at her being so late and the darkness wouldn't hinder them from reaching their destination.

Parking the Mercedes next to the vehicle that looked strangely familiar to her, Michaela quickly loosened her seatbelt. Grasping her coat, she left her car and once outside, she pulled it on. However, as she was closing the buttons, something stopped her movements.

Frozen on the spot, she listened. Yet it wasn't anything she heard that made the hair on her arms stand up, but a change in the atmosphere. Instinct made her rush towards the house and after a short knock she threw open the door only to be immobilized again. _He_ was the last person she had expected to meet tonight.

"Is it really you?" she at last managed to say whilst fear from her experience outside still pressed its fist against her back. Sully couldn't help but chuckle. All the anger he had been hosting up until a minute ago because his unknown companion was late, had dissipated. Now he wouldn't mind spending all night in this tiny place. Yet it was the way she stared at him that he found particularly amusing. She had had exactly the same expression the first time he'd seen her only that time, it hadn't been him that she'd been staring at.

She'd been standing on the sidewalk next to a pile of furniture, watching the removal men entering their van. Waving with some papers in her hand she had called after them that carrying the things into her apartment _was_ part of the contract. Yet it had been obvious that her existence had already dropped from the men's minds; they hadn't even turned their heads but simply driven away.

When he had seen her watching the retreating vehicle, her face had expressed utter disbelief coupled with a feeling of not wanting to acknowledge that she had been tricked, just as it did now. Back then he had waited a moment to see if someone would come to help but as soon as he had realized that no one would, he had crossed the street and offered his assistance. Her shock had dissolved into a wide smile.

Whilst Sully was lost in memories, Michaela didn't have time to consider how she felt about _him_ being here. A gust of ice-cold wind practically shoved her into the room, making her almost stumble. Sully was instantly at her side, helping her push the door shut.

"Yeah, it's me," he at last replied, moving towards the window. "This ain't looking good," he added, "We can't go up to the house if the weather stays like that."

"What's wrong?" Michaela demanded. Not waiting for an answer she continued, "Should we drive back to town?"

"Nope," Sully sighed, turning around to face her. Trying to conceal his pleasure he announced, "We'll spend the night here."

Having recovered from both, the fear she had felt in the little yard and the shock at seeing Sully, Michaela had changed back into her usual self. No one made her do things she didn't want to and thus she reacted indignantly.

"If I can't see Cloud Dancing and Snow Bird tonight, I'm going to go home."

With that she pivoted and reached for the door knob, yet Sully was faster. Pressing his back against the door, he pointed with his chin to the window. "Maybe ya should take a look first," he suggested, looking serious now.

Under the intensity of his gaze her resolve wavered, and she blushed. To hide it, she stepped slowly to the window but what she saw made her jaw drop. Taken aback she whispered, "How is that possible?"

Outside, a blizzard was raging and now that she had directed her attention to it, she heard the howling wind throw itself against the single roomed shelter.

Pushing himself away from the door, Sully explained shrugging, "The weather can change quite quickly up in the mountains."

Michaela however wasn't ready to accept the facts.

"But Cloud Dancing is waiting for us. And it's Christmas Eve; we can't spend it here."

This time Sully suppressed his chuckle, hearing the sadness in her tone. "Don't worry, Cloud Dancing knows that we can't get up to him. We'll just try and make ourselves at home," he assured, strolling through the room and opening the cupboard and a few drawers. It became obvious that he knew where to look for things they might need and Michaela's curiosity won the upper hand once again.

"Do you come here often?" she wondered, watching him lighting some candles that he had put on the plain wooden table.

"Yep," Sully replied, blowing out the match. "C'mere, sit down. Ya can't stand all night."

Michaela could have proven him wrong; she was used to standing in the operating room for hours on end. Yet she refrained from contradicting and simply complied as he pulled out one of the two chairs for her.

Fortunately, there was a small fireplace in the hut and a stock of wood as well. Thus Sully made sure they wouldn't freeze by starting a fire. However, when, after putting water to boil on the spirit stove, he set the table and pulled bread and ham out of his backpack, Michaela couldn't help but growing suspicious. When he at last sat across from her, she asked, "How come you're so well prepared for this occasion?"

"'Cause Cloud Dancing asked me to bring the food," Sully replied shrugging dismissively.

Yet as soon as his own words sank in, he dropped the hand that held a slice of bread. The table they were sitting at was quite small and when Sully looked up to meet Michaela's gaze, he could easily read in her eyes that she was thinking the same thing. In contrast to her however, he believed that the medicine man had caused the blizzard outside. He didn't say it out loud though, not wanting her to know that he had talked with his friend about her. He had told the Cheyenne that her living in the neighborhood had thrown him off balance, and that he didn't want to commit himself to a woman again. Cloud Dancing had only raised an eyebrow and told him frankly that he had never heard such nonsense before. Finding a partner to live with was the best that could happen to anyone and throwing a chance away out of fear wasn't acceptable. Sully had disagreed and left for Oklahoma and the result was that he was now forced to spend time with Michaela without the opportunity to run away or distract himself by doing something else.

He was still looking at her when he suddenly realized that she was growing shy under his gaze. Instantly his guardian instinct stirred, and he quickly thought about how to make her feel more at ease with him. As he realized that there was only one way, he swallowed hard and started a conversation for he knew she loved to talk.

"So," he said after taking a sip of the hot tea, "how come ya know Cloud Dancing?"

Having had time to assess the situation, Michaela feared that she would have a very long night ahead for she knew that Sully didn't like to talk. Yet there was nothing else they could do in this place. Sitting in silence all night would become very uncomfortable. Apart from that, Michaela had no idea how to handle her attraction to Sully. She had felt drawn to him right from the start. Denying this fact hadn't helped, but Snow Bird had assured her that it wasn't uncommon or even silly to feel that way.

And now he sat across from her, and there was no way that she could excuse herself with something else that she had to do.

He was looking expectantly at her now, still waiting for her reply and Michaela realized that he hadn't asked merely to chase the time away. He was as eager to learn more about her as she was to find out about him.

A mixture of excitement and shyness crossed her features as she eventually began to speak. "Cloud Dancing and I work on the same ward at the General Memorial…"

Once the conversation was begun, everything went well. Sometimes they would talk, sometimes just sit in silence but they never felt uncomfortable with each other. It was as if they had known each other all their lives.

The later the evening grew, the more color appeared in Michaela's cheeks and after a few hours she even forgot to ask Sully to see if the weather had changed so that they could get their cars free.

There was a small cot on the wall across from the window and when Sully noticed Michaela's eyes drifting to the makeshift bed now and then, he suggested, "How 'bout you lay down and get some sleep? I guess ya already had a long day at the hospital."

"Getting some sleep would be nice," Michaela admitted, feeling relaxed and comfortable but excited at the same time. Although she had already known that Sully was generous and warm-hearted, tonight she had learned that he was witty and a good listener, too. It had felt good to tell him about her father and how much she missed him, especially tonight. In return he had told her how he had lost his wife two years ago and she could read the guilt he still felt in his eyes. Gently, she had covered his hand when she saw it trembling next to the teapot. The look he gave her in response had made her heart miss a beat and was the reason why her pulse was still higher than normal.

Despite the brilliant fire, it was quite cold in the hut by now and Sully covered Michaela with a blanket as she lay down. His hands lingered on her shoulders for a moment and to her own astonishment Michaela heard herself say, "There's room enough for both of us. Why don't you join me?"

"Nah," Sully refused the idea, not knowing if he would be able to handle her proximity, "I'll be alright on the chair."

"Don't be stubborn," Michaela said sternly, holding his gaze as he crouched down so his face was right before hers.

"Old habit," he smiled somewhat cheekily as he watched the crooked smile, which he already adored, appear.

"Give it up," she advised, and after a long beat he eventually nodded.

After making sure that the room was safe for the night and all the oil lamps were put out, Sully left one thick candle burning on the table and carefully climbed in beside Michaela.

There was indeed room on the small bed for two people, yet only when they lay close to each other. Although Sully tried his best to keep some distance from her body, he still needed to put his hand somewhere because having his arm outstretched on his side all night would become too uncomfortable.

Carefully, so as to not startle her, he at last rested his hand on her hip, holding his breath as he waited for her reaction. He knew that she wasn't asleep yet.

Feeling the soft pressure of his hand, Michaela stiffened for a moment. Yet her hand was already acting of its on accord, reaching for his. As soon as she had found it, their fingers intertwined, his seeking for her warmth and hers for his strength.

Relaxing again, Michaela shifted somewhat and as he did the same, they eventually lay spooned against each other. Sully still wasn't certain if this was too much. Too much for her of course, because he hadn't felt so good in years. Yet Michaela discovered that she liked feeling his body so close.

They didn't know yet that she was his life line and he was her shelter.

"I'd like to take ya to dinner tomorrow." Sully's tone was low and full of emotion as he voiced his wish. "Will ya come?"

They both knew that he was asking for more than just a meal.

"I will," Michaela replied without hesitation, and snuggled closer to him.

"Merry Christmas," Sully eventually said drowsily with his nose buried in her hair.

"Merry Christmas," Michaela replied contently relaxing in the warmth his presence radiated, already half asleep.

In the house up on the mountain, the medicine man wiped his brow as he rose from his position in front of the fire. At the same moment the door to the small room opened.

"It worked," said Cloud Dancing to his wife, and Snow Bird smiled.

……………………………………………………………………….

_Merry Christmas to all of you who are celebrating it, and for the others: have a good time!!_


End file.
